Announcing From Plate to Page – a food writing and photography workshop

Have you sensed that it’s been a little quiet around here at CookSister! HQ lately? That I might have been a little distracted? Don’t worry, I’m not hiding in the attic and taking a break from online life – what I have been doing is spending rather a lot of time plotting, planning and talking with my talented Spice Sisters Meeta, Jamie and Ilva, and we have prepared a little surprise for you.

I have been blogging since shortly after the Middle Ages (or so it feels sometimes!) and I can tell you a lot has changed in the food blogging world in that time. There are more of us, for one, and you can no longer say that you know all the food bloggers in your country – which was the case at the beginning. Things have also got a lot slicker. Whereas the writing used to be literally “Hi, here is what I had for dinner!” and the photographs blurry brown blobs taken with a webcam, newbie bloggers now find that to compete and be noticed among the ever-increasing sea of blogs they need to up their game. The best writing and photography on food blogs now competes easily with print media, meaning that the pressure is on bloggers everywhere to increase their level of professionalism and skill if they want to be seen.

But how to take that step? Who to ask for help and advice? How to break out of your writing rut or change your visual language? And of course, how on earth to get paid for your words and pictures?

The four of us have been asking these questions and we have been lucky enough to have each other for support, encouragement, A-ha lyrics and cocktails advice and inspiration. And now we’d like to offer you the chance to come and join us for a weekend of cooking, eating, writing and photographing alongside the four of us.

And so [drum roll] we present to you From Plate to Page, a hands-on food photography and writing workshop aimed at food bloggers, writers and photographers looking to enhance and hone their photography and writing skills. By keeping the group small (maximum of 10 people), it will be possible to present a programme of topics in a practical and collective way, with group participation at every step. Over the course of the 3-day weekend participants work individually or in teams to complete assignments in both writing and photography. All of this will be done alongside the four workshop leaders, who will be on hand at all times for one-on-one contact, questions and advice in a relaxed and social atmosphere. Critique, discussion and analysis will also be encouraged, helping participants to understand, reflect upon and improve your work.

The weekend will take place on the premises of a charmingly restored traditional guest housein a tranquil setting on the outskirts of Weimar, Germany, a city that has long attracted creative thinkers and artists. Exclusive use of a kitchen, lecture room and pretty sun terrace will provide participants both with inspiration and an undisturbed environment in which to explore their creativity.

Registration details and a whole lot more is available on the From Plate to Page website so please do go and take a look. We are tremendously excited to be able to invite you to join us and we can’t wait to welcome you to Weimar next May!

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That sounds like so much fun. I’ve been to Weimar many years ago and loved it. Too bad I can’t make it. I will actually be in The Netherlands in May but leaving back to States on the 21st. Looking forward to seeing a recap of the event next year.

This looks awesome, and that’s definitely a great bunch of workshop leaders. Am off to Lithuania on a ‘girlcation’ and to Czech to meet the housemate’s family next year however, so maybe next time. Wishing you every success and lots of fun!

Sounds wonderful and I wish I could join you! If money were no object (but it is) and I enjoyed air travel (which I don’t), I’d be there in a heartbeat! I’m certain that it will be a huge success and you can consider this the 1st Annual From Plate to Page event! How exciting!

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Jeanne Horak-Druiff is a freelance food and travel writer as well as a recipe developer and photographer. She is a South African by birth and a Londoner by choice who has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Please get in touch to commission work from her. Read More…